Laundry or clothes hampers are intended to provide convenient storage of soiled laundry prior to washing. Such hampers may be fabricated from wood, plastic, cloth, or woven wicker products (or combinations thereof), and are ordinarily placed in the bedroom or bathroom of a home so that laundry can be neatly collected without unsightly clutter. Such hampers are typically available in a wide variety of colors and styles, and thus can be coordinated with furniture and the like for enhancing decor.
While hampers of the above description have proven to be quite popular for use in the home, the constructions have typically been such as to define only a single box-like enclosure for receiving laundry. While such constructions of course provide the desired neat and convenient storage of laundry, it will be appreciated that subsequent sorting of the laundry is ordinarily required so that articles are appropriately grouped for washing. For example, it is not uncommon to sort laundry into groups of "lights", "darks", and "permanent press" or delicate fabrics. While such sorting of laundry is by no means difficult, it can be time-consuming and add to the chore of washing.
Another disadvantage associated with many hamper constructions heretofore known relates to the general size or bulk of such arrangements. Naturally, a hamper is preferably sized for efficiently holding a reasonable quantity of soiled laundry, but the box-like configuration of such hampers detracts from their efficient storage and shipment. Although hamper constructions are known comprising wooden and fabric elements which are assembled by a consumer for use, hampers made of woven wicker or the like ordinarily cannot be shipped and sold in such a "knocked down" or disassembled condition.
With the above considerations in mind, the laundry hamper arrangement of the present invention has been specifically configured to include a plurality of individually removable inner hamper bags, and has further been specifically configured to promote economical manufacture, compact storage and shipment, and convenient assembly by consumers.